Weaponsmith Archive

Greetings Weaponsmiths

I'm getting a lot of requests regarding the DX2 pistol with regards to investigating power-handler usage.It takes 4, but you only get the bonuses from 1, is what folks are saying. Now, is that really a problem or is that how ALL weapons work? For example, a scatter pistol uses just 1 power handler, so it also only gets bonuses from (1) power handler, just like the DX2. Is that correct? Or do you have THIS situation.

Power Handler from a crate with stats: 90% effective (just an example, I dont know stats on power handlers).

(1) Used in a Scatter Pistol, contributes a 90% effective power handler to final combine.

(4) Used in DX2, contributes a 90% x 90% x 90% x 90% effective power handler = 65% power handler contribution.

OR, is it simply that it uses ONE power handler at 90% effecitve in both cases and the DX2 stats are just normally low?

Basically, we are trying to figure out why the DX2 stats aren't better, if it's just "like that" or if possibly there is some crafting reason behind it. I DO know that if both high velocity feeders and krayt tissue can be used, that the DX2 will always miss out on the HVfeeder...which also sucks, but that's a different issue.

Anyway, any insight would be appreciated, if there is an issue here, we will be pushing from the pistoleer end.

- ALSO how is the sales on the DX2? Does it sell OK or do you find it's generally notin good demand? If pistoleer is the biggest overall combat profession population, you'd think DX2s sales would be tops....

First power handlers don't stack in any weapon so the DX2 isn't any different in that regard. Just think how over powered a T21 rifle would be with its 10 power handlers if they did stack.

I agree that the schematic for the DX2 as well as for many other elite profession weapons need to be adjusted so that they become the best weapon of their class. It is a big let down to reach an elite profession and find out that the new weapon cert you get is basically worse than a weapon you get the cert for at pistol level 2 in the marksman tree.

In general there are two reasons why the elite weapons sux. The first is just that the schematic comes out with poor stats even when made with decent resources. Perhaps a more common reason is that the resources required for the construction of that weapon always have poor stats in the important qualities used in determining the effectiveness of the weapons. The best example of this is plumbian iron. Many advanced weapons require this resource with the important qualities being OQ and conductivity. Yet all plumbian has very poor stats in conductivity and usually only medium stats in OQ. This combination of stats brings down the effectiveness of any weapon using it down to the effectiveness of lower grade weapons which can be made with copper having very high stats in both OQ and conductivity.

We as a community have already flagged this as a problem which needs to be addressed in our top 5 issues list.

So pistoleers are not being singled out here. This problem affects most of the elite classes. Not to mention that it is frustrating for us as well. We make master and get the schematics to make all of these high end weapons and then they turn out with worse stats than the FWG's we have been making since we were novices - that is disappointing.

On the sales side of your question, yes they are popular, they are the only "working" pistol with AP right now. I did make a republic blaster to see what they were like, they have AP also and if I remember right, had over-all better stats than the DX2.

Personaly I believe we will see new weapons introduced over the life of the game that will improve on what we have now, It would get boring fast knowing that you got the best gun you could ever have in a few weeks of the game and it wasn't going to change. I would like to see Master level weapons for each of the elites. A pistol you had to be a Master Pistoleer to use. A set of vibro-knucks only a Master TK could make effective, you get the idea. I know a lot of people in the game that trained novice pistoleer just so they could use the DX2, I know a Master Pistoleer can do a lot more damage with one than a novice, but I would be nice to have a signature weapon that says " I am an Elite" without having a tag over your head to tell people.

Sorry, I know this doesn't answer your questions really, They are just my thoughts and opinions.

The DX2 currently is a situational weapon, due to the high ham costs and low/broken damage I only use it when acid is the only option. I think the PH is working fine as they are, if you want to do acid and AP it takes 4 PHs. Stacking is dangerous I am making +43 PHs, put a +50 krayt on it and a T21 is almost +1000 damage

The DX2 is really screwed when compared with the other 2 elite profession pistols (Launcher and Scatter) when it comes to being enhanceable.

Launcer & Scatter: 1 Power Hander, 1 Feed Mechanism.

DX2: 4 Power Handlers, ZERO Feed Mechs.


So this means that a Launcher & Scatter can be easily enhanced with 1 Nym drop and 1 Krayt Tissue to give at least +50 damage, -0.3 speed.

DX2s take 4 Krayts (5 w/ schematic), and you can't use a Nym drop on them, so you have to put in a lot more, and get only +30 damage, -0.3 speed.

Stats on power handlers are handled the same way as enhancements - straight addition to weapon base stats. Something made with a 32 max -.32 speed handler will have 2 max -.02 speed improvement over something with a30 max -.30 handler (plus/minus one to account for rounding). Weapons with multiple handlers use the stats from one; the percentage is not a factor at any point, only the stats.

The DX2 is hindered by requiring materials that usually have crappy stats. If the resources are decent, its base dps will be similar to that of the FWG5, and will gain at least 25% dps advantage when the armor piercing is factored in. However, it hasrather badaccuracy and higher HAM costs, so many people prefer the FWG5, using the DX2 only against armored or heat-resistant targets.

And here's another way of saying what everyone else has said:

If you build a gun with a SINGLE blaster power handlers,min dmg will be boosted by 10, max dmg will be boosted by 20, and its speed reduced by -0.30 (just making up numbers.

If you build a gun using ONE BILLION (identical) blaster power handlers, min dmg will be boosted by 10, max dmg will be boosted by 20, and tis speed reduced by -0.30.

Well the question about the Power Handlers stacking has already been answered, they dont stack. Though Pistoleers do get the FWG5, which can use the HVfeeder mechanisms as well. The projectile weapons are just plain easier to boost the stats.

"Basically, we are trying to figure out why the DX2 stats aren't better, if it's just "like that" or if possibly there is some crafting reason behind it."

The materials for the Dx2 arent really horrible. The copper required can be some of the best copper in the game, though its rare it appears that good. And the alum isnt fantastic, but its far from horrible. So to answer your question about a crafting reason behind it, no, it not as gated as some things. Really, they've adjusted the stats on the T21 a few times I believe.

So the answer to making the Dx2 better is for the Devs to adjust it a little, so the base stats are higher.

Ok, its late. One of our issues is fixing the advanced barrels, or the materials needed to make them(They are horribly gated atm). If we could make better advanced barrels, the dx2, and all other non projectile weapons, would be much, much better. So, I suppose you could say its a bit of a crafting issue. Due to one of the advanced components being total garbage.

As for sales on the dx2, it sells pretty well for me. Its one of the few AP pistoleer weapons, and, as a pistoleer myself, is a must have for a pistoleer. And it has Green Bolts! Too bad the specials make those red lines behind them

As an addition to the DX2 v Scatter and Launcher, it don't help the DX2's case that the adv blaster pistol barrelused to make itis only marginally better in damage while being slower than the normal blaster pistol barrel, while the adv projectile pistol barrels used in the scatters and launchersare far superior to the normal projectile pistol barrel.